Essay 43 • May 9th 2016

by Laura McClintock

In 2010 the bodies of four women were discovered on the Ocean Parkway in Long Island, New York. All the women worked as escorts and all the cases remain unsolved. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered and are all suspected to have been murdered by the same serial killer. This project, inspired by the written work of Robert Kolker’s Lost Girls, documents the spaces where their bodies were found, places they were last seen and other significant locations in the timeline of these murders. It attempts to give a voice to a marginalised part of society to allow them to be remembered for the women that they were and not for the work that they did. These spaces are now Hallowed Ground.

This project was a finalist for Julia Margaret Cameron Award 2015 and runner up for the Joy of Giving Something Award 2015.

Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York

Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York.

The pool of the Holiday Inn Express where Megan Waterman was last seen, June 5, 2010.

Mannorville, Long Island. Where the torso of Jessica Taylor, 20 years old, was discovered on July 26, 2003. Her skull, hands and forearm were discovered on the Ocean Parkway on March 26, 2011.

Lotto store at the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Midtown, New York where Jessica Taylor was last seen, July 2003.

Penn Station, New York. The last known location of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who called her sister Missy from this location on July 9, 2007.

The Long Island Expressway. The strip of highway that connects all the body drop site s within Long Island. This section of highway is outside the Holiday Inn Express, Hauppauge where Megan Waterman was last seen on June 5, 2010.

A room in the Holiday Inn Express, Hauppauge. A highway hotel known for its sex-trade where Megan Waterman was last seen on June 5, 2010.

A nest under a tree. Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York.

Penn Station, New York. The last known location of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, who called her sister Missy from this location on July 9, 2007

The security gate of Oak Beach, Long Island New York. The Oak Beach gated community is where the house of Joseph Brewer is located and was place of Shannan Gilbert’s disappearance.

Cinema in Groton, Connecticut where Maureen Brainard-Barnes worked before becoming a prostitute.

Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York.

Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York.

Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York

Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York.

Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York.

Car park of Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York.

View of the carpark and Long Isand Expressway from the Holiday Inn Express, Hauppauge, Long Island. The location Megan Waterman was last seen, June 5, 2010.

Mannorville, Long Island. Where the torso of Jessica Taylor, 20 years old, was discovered on July 26, 2003. Her skull, hands and forearm were discovered on the Ocean Parkway on March 26, 2011.

Mannorville, Long Island. Where the torso of Jessica Taylor, 20 years old, was discovered on July 26, 2003. Her skull, hands and forearm were discovered on the Ocean Parkway on March 26, 2011.

Mannorville, Long Island. Where the torso of Jessica Taylor, 20 years old, was discovered on July 26, 2003. Her skull, hands and forearm were discovered on the Ocean Parkway on March 26, 2011.

A funeral home in New London, Connecticut where the funeral for Maureen Brainard-Barnes was held on February 4, 2011.

Port Authority Bus Terminal, Midtown, New York where Jessica Taylor was last seen, July 2003.

The carpark of Oak Beach, Long Island New York. The Oak Beach gated community is where the house of Joseph Brewer is located and was place of Shannan Gilbert’s disappearance.

Oak Beach gated community is where the house of Joseph Brewer is located and was place of Shannan Gilbert’s disappearance.

Gilgo Beach, Long Island, New York. The bodies of Maureen Brainard-Barnes, Megan Waterman, Melissa Barthelemy and Amber Lynn Costello were discovered from December 11-13, 2010. Since then more than 10 bodies have been discovered in different areas of Long Island, New York.

The house of Joseph Brewer (left) that Shannan Gilbert disappeared from on May 1, 2010. The search for Shannan led to the discovery of the other bodies along the Ocean Parkway. It was a year and a half before Shannan’s remains were uncovered nearby.

Laura Grace McClintock is an Australian freelance photographer and editor currently based in New York. She prides herself in having worked in all aspects of the photographic industry. She has worked as a professional photographer since 2008, shooting predominantly colour film. She has also edited for a major fashion magazine and is now an editorial agent with Redux Pictures as well as freelance photographer.

She holds a BFA in Photography and a BA in Theatre and Performance from the College of Fine Art, UNSW, Australia. She is a 2014 graduate of the Photojournalism and Documentary program at The International Center of Photography, NY.